16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Those two plants were started on April 30, that's only a month ago. The Big Beef were transplanted one week ago and shot right up, no shock whatsoever. I've moved the Big Beef to the front porch where it's cool and shady just to slow them down for a couple of weeks while I harden them off. Have used the Miracle Gro for years with good luck. It's true that Black Cherry starts out a lot slower than others but this is quite drastic. Thought you all would get a kick out of this.
Ibann ... I am sure you meant March 30th.
I think that Black cherry has close to normal growth in 4 weeks. But definitely Big Beef has grown out of ordinary.
I have an unknown variety ( came out of dwarf seeds pack ) that is almost 20 inches high where other indets sowed and planted out at the same time are under 12". .
I have planted big beef ( Bonnie seedling) it is doing fine so far but not out of ordinary. Hope yours will be real productive too.
Sey
Keeping Posted.
So far my Druzba is ok. But growing slower than Siltetz, Rutgers, and few others. Probably it needs warmer temps to start moving . So I am keeping an eye on it .
Who else is growing Druzba this season ?
Lets share our experience and thoughts. Being the first time, it is "make" or "bust". You last chance Druzba.. C'mone ! Move it !
OK, so you do not want a link to Tania's page for it, but if you looked you'd find that I was the first to introduce it to the US, seeds to me from Norbert in France back in 1992. You'll also note that I I was the first to answer the original poster back in 2009.
I've grown it many many times for seed production for my SSE listings as well as for seed offers I've done here and there over the years.
You also limited posts to those who are growing it this YEAR, which I'm not since as you know I no longer can do that.
All to say that I've grown in longer than anyone here and have never had any problems with it and love it, and I've had lots of comparisons to make since to date I had grown, myself, about 4,000 plus varieties before I fell, severed all four quads in my right leg which put me in this walker, permanently, since Dec of 2004.
Q.E.D,
Carolyn
I was on my way home from the grocer last week and had to stop for two Peacocks facing off in the middle of the road. I beeped at them and it didn't phase them. Only when they danced a while, flew up facing one another and flapped over to the side of the road could I continue on.
Looks like mite damage to me when you enlarge the pic. Strip off the damaged leaves and dispose away from the garden. Check the undersides of new grow for any signs of tiny mites - might need a magnifying glass to see. If none discovered just monitor the plants for another week or so. If any signs spray with one of the several miticides available.
Dave
Thanks for the reassuring responses everyone. I'm relieved I don't have to go to drastic measures this early in the season. I'll check for the mites and keep an eye on it.
@edweather I got these cages for free, and as this was my first season gardening I already had plenty of expenses getting the beds up and running. First thing on the list for next season is a roll of wire to make some much larger cages. I'm hoping with some constant pruning of suckers going forward I can make these guys work.
Thanks again, and I'll update in a week with results.
Thank you guys for all the advice... :) :) :)
I supposedly hardened the plants before planting outside and I also mixed the soil that i dug from the ground with store bought soil, so I thought it would not be cold... I don't have a thermometer for the soil, so I'm just guessing
I am located in Europe - Bulgaria to be exact.... Here tomatoes are usually planted outside in the beginning of MAY.
Maybe, as you guys said, the plants were just too big and they are having a tougher time adjusting :/ Well, I hope for the best!!!
I cover them with plastic wrap in the afternoon until morning... I also checked the soil and it doesn't seem too moist...
BUT yeah.. they definitely look like the ones that lack phosphorus!!! I can see the dark veins on the leafs.
THANK YOU AGAIN!!! If they get better, I'll send some tomato pics :D
Regards!!!
Maria
You may be able to help warm things up with a simple black garbage bag. Cut it down the sides to make one long strip of plastic. Cut a slit in the middle to go around the plants stem. Then lay it so that it is fairly flat on the ground, and weigh it down in a few spots with some heavy rocks or bricks. You may have to cut enough away from the stem area to be able to water the plant. This will help to warm the soil a few degrees during the day.
> I select on the basis of the plant that emerges, not on the basis of a tiny root that emerges. That seems to me to be a better way to select.
In my experience, the healthiest seedlings come from the healthiest germinated seeds, which usually germinate first. I also sowed in soil, in cups, but watering could be a problem: either too much, or too little. The bag keeps the SAME humidity for a few days. No worries.
> In fact, when I do that, and I get five plants coming up in a 4-inch cup (oops!), it just takes a small spoon to separate the ones I want to keep.
I wouldn’t put more than three seeds in a 4 in. pot. I hate bothering small seedlings’ roots.
"I select on the basis of the plant that emerges, not on the basis of a tiny root that emerges. That seems to me to be a better way to select."
I have to agree with this. The biggest drawback of the baggie method is the selections are made before the shedding of the seed coat. The baggie method does not address helmet-head or tipstick. Advantage: direct start
To be fair, the baggie offers a uniformity of seed coat hydration which most media don't due to the random particle size and need to police hydration of them near the surface. This confounding factor gives an advantage to the baggie method. Perfect hydration every time can speed things up and allow better comparison for initial selection in the helmet, allowing us to be tighter with seed use, while temperature control can be a tie between the methods.
PC
Seysonn, somewhat simple explanation in regards to foliar feeding- plants have savings account and checking account, soil might be rich on nutrients but those will be unavailable to plants. Common soil test you get from local extensions usually show only savings account. Whether plant has a bit of cash to use now it is different story. And some soils are heavy on CD account but not happy to share now.
Foliar feeds are meant to help plants to get some cash here and now and they do it exactly by absorbing via leaves, which as some experiments show about 20 times more effective than root feeding.
It would be too simplistic to think that plants can take nutrients only in ionic form, they sure can use complex molecules as well but it is relationship between minerals that makes difference. As PC mentioned above it is not only Ca amount, it is relationship between Ca and Mg which should be ideally around 7 to 1 and P to K 4 to 1 or 4 to 2 which help to release nutrients. So foliar feeds might just give that boost and change balance to the healthy side- i.e. get you some cash influx to live by till your savings account gives better dividends LOL
Biggest mistake? I've done lots of them - not sure which was the biggest.
- I start too many seedlings
- I start them too early so then I have sprawling plants when it comes time to plant.
- I've over watered them. Then I get damping off and fungal gnats.
- I've dowsed them with too much fungicide to try and get rid of the damping off & fungal gnats.
- I plant them too close because I don't want to kill off any of my baby seedlings that made it to planting season!
- I've planted out to early and lost them to frost.
So which one of those is the biggest mistake?
I should mention that, on the coldest night, I added paper across the top.
The plants look pretty good. I put screening over them to reduce the sun burn. That's gone now and the ten-day forecast shows no lows below the mid forties. I plan to keep the wrap and water bottles for another week.
Yes, Fred Meyers garden centers have more varieties than Lowes and HD.
I've bough a few seedlings from them. This branch that I go to, is across the parking lot from HD. So there is some competition .
BTW: I grew Black from Tula and Big Rainbow from seed. And have them planted out already.
Sey
That support has wheels, so I can move it around, so the plants get the most light.
They have light from 8 am till 6 pm.
I rotate the support at least one time per day with 180’ so all the plants have the same amount of light. Actually early in the morning and late evening, all 3 levels have DIRECT light; only at midday the seedlings in the “back” do not have direct sunlight.
When it’s cold during the night, I put the pots in my small 3-level greenhouse ( 4’ x 6’. ) [see picture bellow]
When it’s only cool, I put the support WITH the pots – obviously - in the garage.
And when it’s warm, I simply leave them outside – well, except if there is some rain / thunderstorm on the forecast.
Very convenient that support: 72 pots, easy to push…
Note: the pictures are from… last year, 2014.
This year, I’m not starting from seeds.
Daniel,
That is a nice and practical mobile plant cart.
BTW: when are you going to get plants and plant out ?
How is your LI weather theses days ?
Ours is fine. Highs getting to low 70s. But the lows are persistently in mid 40s and refuse to go into 50s territory. It should happen early June.
Sey